Reynolds building more playgrounds in Middle East

Former forestry worker hopes to make a difference for Afghan children

Iraq, Gaza and the West Bank are known as some of the world’s
most dangerous places, but for Whistler-based philanthropist Keith Reynolds,
they present an opportunity to make a positive difference.

Reynolds, a former forestry worker, founded Playground Builders
in 2006. It’s a Whistler-based organization that forms partnerships with
non-governmental organizations to establish children’s playgrounds in conflict
zones. The organization has established 20 playgrounds to date in places such
as Baghdad, Jenin and Ramallah and is now looking to establish another in
Afghanistan.

Reynolds and two others left for the Middle East this week to
check on existing playgrounds and survey for new ones — to be built with
funds raised earlier this year in Whistler. When they return they’ll be raising
more money for the 10 new playgrounds they’ve committed to build.

Each playground is built using local workers, in an effort to
reduce unemployment and inject money into the region.

The genesis of Playground Builders was about 20 years ago when
Reynolds was backpacking in Europe and suddenly had an urge to see the Middle
East.

“I ended up just chasing the sunshine and basically said to my
friends, if it rains tomorrow, let’s fly to Tel Aviv,” he said. “That was from
Crete and it was raining, and then we ended up in Tel Aviv, and then
Jerusalem.”

Curious about the peace process, Reynolds decided to make a
tour of the West Bank and soon saw the effects that years of conflict have
reaped on the territory, which has long been marked by fighting between Israel
and its neighbours.

“I just thought there was a chance we could make a difference
for the future, and that was to build some playgrounds,” he said.

Reynolds established the first three playgrounds out of his own
pocket two years ago in three locations throughout the West Bank. Those
locations included Jenin, a city where a refugee camp was the site of a fierce
12-day battle in 2002 between soldiers with the Israel Defence Forces and
Palestinian guerrilla fighters.

Since then playgrounds have been established all over the
Middle East, in places such as North Gaza and most recently in the northeast
area of Baghdad, Iraq’s capital city, where a playground opened in March.

Reynolds, who visited Iraq in 2003 shortly after Saddam Hussein
was captured, remembers having a tough time finding his way to the war-torn
country.

He was traveling alone in Jenin when he heard about Saddam’s
capture and decided to go to Iraq. He was booked on one of the first flights
from Amman, Jordan to Baghdad, but the flight was cancelled after a transport
plane had been shot down.